Jakarta (CGK) - the ultimate Q&A thread
Mar 5, 2005, 7:35 am
#46
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Dont forget that apart from the excellent local and Asian food... Jakarta is also a very good place to have French Cuisine. Check out Bapak Antoine´s Java Blue Restaurant, and dont forget William Wongso´s place.... 
May 3, 2005, 11:18 pm
#47
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: jakarta
Originally Posted by Savage25
...but I may be stopping over for the night on a RTW. Where are the fun places where the mid-twenties crowd hang out? Any suggestions on what to do if I'm there for a Sunday afternoon and night?
There's a cavernous club called "Stadium" in Kota which has a reputation for consistently pushing the limits on the progressive/underground house music scene in Jakarta and host to the usual big-name Dj's (Sasha / Oakenfold et al) in addition to the local hot shots. ^
Since it's down the road from Mangga Dua, you could always go shopping, leave your spoils, and continue partying at Stadium. Last time I was there, I the place was known to be open non-stop through the weekend (you could literally start on Friday evening, and not stop partying until Sunday night without leaving the place).
May 3, 2005, 11:26 pm
#48
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: food
Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
Java Bleu is indeed EXCELLENT... ^
"Riva" at the Park Lane hotel (Jalan Casablanca).
(parklanejakarta.com)
May 18, 2005, 7:50 am
#49
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Terra Australis Cognita
Posts: 5,350
Bump. I'm in Jakarta for the next few weeks and haven't seen much outside the office and shopping malls yet, so if any FTers are in town and up for dinner/drinking/diving/sightseeing, drop me a line. I have to confess though that while I've done my fair share of traveling in 'dodgy' places (Egypt, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Russia...) , so far I've found Jakarta the creepiest of the lot... 
May 18, 2005, 8:12 am
#50
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Perhaps you'd like to join our little Bali gathering on 27 May?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...1&page=1&pp=15
oontiveros is having a party at his place on 21 May and I hope to be able to make it. You can PM him for more info.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...1&page=1&pp=15
oontiveros is having a party at his place on 21 May and I hope to be able to make it. You can PM him for more info.
May 18, 2005, 1:10 pm
#51
Join Date: Sep 2003
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jpatokal, send me your email address and I'll send you and invite. It'll be fun. You'll meet alot of people. It won't be creepy I promise...
StarG, you're coming to the party...no choice. hehehe...
StarG, you're coming to the party...no choice. hehehe...
May 19, 2005, 9:15 pm
#52
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Java Bleu has, unfortunately, been closed down. 
May 19, 2005, 9:21 pm
#53
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
Java Bleu has, unfortunately, been closed down.
What happened? They were doing so well before...
Haven't been there for quite some time now.
Jun 30, 2005, 9:12 am
#55
Join Date: May 2002
Location: seattle, wa.
Posts: 915
So what's wrong with Borobudur hotel? My partner and I are going to be in Jakarta end of August and we got a rate of 500,000 Rp nett with Bfast. I know this is an old hotel, but are the beds and hotel in general comfy? Or is it a tired-looking hotel?
I also got USD90 at the Four Seasons, should I grab it? It's quite a waste distance from the central district, isn't it? I hate dealing w/ traffic. My ultimate would have been Grand Hyatt but their price is so skyroketting.
I also got USD90 at the Four Seasons, should I grab it? It's quite a waste distance from the central district, isn't it? I hate dealing w/ traffic. My ultimate would have been Grand Hyatt but their price is so skyroketting.
Jun 30, 2005, 10:13 am
#56
formerly known as 2lovelife
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: ORF : UA_Premier_Gold4Life, Bonvoy_titanium, Accor_Plat
Posts: 6,952
Few questions come to mind... thanks in advance guys.
To stay. I'm not on the Four Seasons budget. At what price does a good room start? and some recommendations if possible (in BKK $20US gets a nice place)
Safety and getting around, both in the day and at night. Other than using common sence, what's the feel? I'm assuming taxi's are the norm. Walking?
Favorite local spots, Favorite tourists spots? Top 3 or 4 things to do?
To from Airport, what's the drill?
That'll keep ya busy for a while... I've got more
he he he
To stay. I'm not on the Four Seasons budget. At what price does a good room start? and some recommendations if possible (in BKK $20US gets a nice place)
Safety and getting around, both in the day and at night. Other than using common sence, what's the feel? I'm assuming taxi's are the norm. Walking?
Favorite local spots, Favorite tourists spots? Top 3 or 4 things to do?
To from Airport, what's the drill?
That'll keep ya busy for a while... I've got more
he he he
Jun 30, 2005, 10:26 am
#57
Join Date: Sep 2003
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Originally Posted by seanthepilot
Few questions come to mind... thanks in advance guys.
To stay. I'm not on the Four Seasons budget. At what price does a good room start? and some recommendations if possible (in BKK $20US gets a nice place)
Safety and getting around, both in the day and at night. Other than using common sence, what's the feel? I'm assuming taxi's are the norm. Walking?
Favorite local spots, Favorite tourists spots? Top 3 or 4 things to do?
To from Airport, what's the drill?
That'll keep ya busy for a while... I've got more
he he he
To stay. I'm not on the Four Seasons budget. At what price does a good room start? and some recommendations if possible (in BKK $20US gets a nice place)
Safety and getting around, both in the day and at night. Other than using common sence, what's the feel? I'm assuming taxi's are the norm. Walking?
Favorite local spots, Favorite tourists spots? Top 3 or 4 things to do?
To from Airport, what's the drill?
That'll keep ya busy for a while... I've got more
he he he
Safety-wise, I think things are fine. You never know in almost any large metropolitan when or where something might happen so use common sense.
Taxis are generally fine, try to take Blue Birds or Silverbirds (http://www.bluebirdgroup.com/) all the time if you can...I have had no real problems with taxis of any brand except for a very few.
At the airport, just ignore the touts and go straight to the Silverbird kiosk (say IDR120k plus to central) or take a Goldenbird for ~IDR150k+ to Central. Call Bluebird to take to you the airport at the end of your trip.
Favourite hot spots? what are you looking for?
Jun 30, 2005, 10:45 am
#58
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CGK
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SeaMeFly: USD90 for Four Seasons is a good deal IMHO. And it is actually around (if not IN) the CBD.
seanthepilot: You can probably get a decent room around USD50, but again that largely depends on what you rate as decent.
Some sacrifices may have to be made in terms of location, etc. You may want to give more details so we can help better.
As oontiveros said, getting around is by taxis and Blue Bird taxis are among the most trusted here.
seanthepilot: You can probably get a decent room around USD50, but again that largely depends on what you rate as decent.
Some sacrifices may have to be made in terms of location, etc. You may want to give more details so we can help better.As oontiveros said, getting around is by taxis and Blue Bird taxis are among the most trusted here.
Jul 1, 2005, 2:56 am
#59
formerly known as 2lovelife
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Posts: 6,952
Not quite Asia time for me yet... I'll pop more questions as the time gets closer.
Fantastic thread... I'm going to follow it and watch it grow!
Fantastic thread... I'm going to follow it and watch it grow!
Jul 14, 2005, 9:53 pm
#60
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Where my head rests (presently MIA)
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10 hour layover enough to get into Jakarta?
Hi all. I need to cheaply get from MES (Medan) to DPS (Bali) and while I'd personally like to avoid Jakarta, it looks like transitting through CGK may be my cheapest option. I'm leaning towards Air Asia (AWAIR flights). I'm trying to plan the bes options, but all require a long layover in CGK. Since hotels are cheaper in Bali, I'd like to avoid a night in Jakarta. Any alternative routes that circumvent JKT from MES to DPS? Also, any luck with Merpati Air? How is their quality.
Can anyone give estimates on travel times given the following probable itinerary? I've given most likely dates, though flexible +/- 1 day
8/19 MES - CGK QZ7503 arrive 1050am
8/19 CKG - DPS QZ7518 departure 2040pm
My partner has business contacts in the city, though I don't know if we'd be able to arrange transportation with them. We'll definitely try. At these hours, how bad is the traffic re: times from CGK to the city center and the return? As soon as we arrive, we'll check in for our following flight and deal with bags that way, so I'm assuming that as long as we get to CGK 30-45 minutes before our flight we'll be okay because it'll be domestic. We won't be able to check bags all the way through according to AirAsia's website, since they are a point-to-point carrier only. But please give me advice. How long upon arrival should we expect before arriving in the city? What time should we plan on leaving the city to make it to our next flight? What transportation costs should we budget? Any one site worth visiting for a couple hours in case my partner's contacts don't come through/are unavailable or can't occupy us the entire layover?
Is the departure tax 100,000 Rp? Is it payable in Rp or USD only? Is there a different tax rate for domestic vs international flights?
Also, I can't seem to find the info I need on the Indonesian consulates' page, so can someone confirm: as 2 US passport holders obtaining an Indonesian visa in Medan and travelling entirely domestically before leaving country from DPS, will 1 visa cover everything? I'm assuming so b/c I'd hate to pay $25 in MES and DPS and $10 in CGK. Also, I don't want to get cheated.
Thank you in advance for everyone's help.
Can anyone give estimates on travel times given the following probable itinerary? I've given most likely dates, though flexible +/- 1 day
8/19 MES - CGK QZ7503 arrive 1050am
8/19 CKG - DPS QZ7518 departure 2040pm
My partner has business contacts in the city, though I don't know if we'd be able to arrange transportation with them. We'll definitely try. At these hours, how bad is the traffic re: times from CGK to the city center and the return? As soon as we arrive, we'll check in for our following flight and deal with bags that way, so I'm assuming that as long as we get to CGK 30-45 minutes before our flight we'll be okay because it'll be domestic. We won't be able to check bags all the way through according to AirAsia's website, since they are a point-to-point carrier only. But please give me advice. How long upon arrival should we expect before arriving in the city? What time should we plan on leaving the city to make it to our next flight? What transportation costs should we budget? Any one site worth visiting for a couple hours in case my partner's contacts don't come through/are unavailable or can't occupy us the entire layover?
Is the departure tax 100,000 Rp? Is it payable in Rp or USD only? Is there a different tax rate for domestic vs international flights?
Also, I can't seem to find the info I need on the Indonesian consulates' page, so can someone confirm: as 2 US passport holders obtaining an Indonesian visa in Medan and travelling entirely domestically before leaving country from DPS, will 1 visa cover everything? I'm assuming so b/c I'd hate to pay $25 in MES and DPS and $10 in CGK. Also, I don't want to get cheated.
Thank you in advance for everyone's help.
Last edited by Marquis790; Jul 14, 2005 at 9:58 pm